Press Materials

Cirque du Soleil

From a group of 20 street performers at its beginnings in 1984,Cirque du Soleil is now a major Quebec-based organization providing high-quality artistic entertainment. The company has close to 4,000 employees, including 1,300 performing artists from close to 50 different countries. Cirque du Soleil has brought wonder and delight to more than 155 million spectators in more than 300 cities in over forty countries on six continents.

Biography

Erich van Tourneau

Musical Director and Arranger

When Erich first heard Great Balls of Fire by Jerry Lee Lewis at the age of 15 he was blown away by the rock legend’s fiery piano playing and got interested in the roots of rock and roll. He later studied with renowned Canadian pianists to broaden his musical horizons and deepen his knowledge of music history.

Erich was soon working as a freelance musician on stage, studio and television projects for many of the top award-winning artists in Quebec pop music. He found himself on stage in European and Japanese festivals as well as big events closer to home such as the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal and the Quebec Summer Festival. His performances with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra at Place des Arts in Montreal are a highlight of his career.

Over the years Erich accumulated an impressive track record of original music and began to record. He took on a dozen writing and production projects, each very different from the next, and his expertise led him to create advertising jingles in the United States and the theme song for Canadian Football League team. He has been nominated for and won awards from the Association québécoise de l'industrie du disque (ADISQ) and the Indie Awards held in Toronto.

Erich loves the myriad undertones of soul and always comes back to gospel music, funk and rhythm and blues – the roots of Presley’s own music. Viva ELVIS is his first association with Cirque du Soleil.

“The leitmotif that guided me throughout the entire creative process was to ask myself, ‘what would the songs of Elvis be like if he were doing them for the first time today?’” he says. “I set out to evoke the soul and the spirit of Elvis Presley, while building a bridge between his music and future generations of fans."